Each hand has 27 bones
Each hand has 27 bones, 54 in both hands. They are the 8 carpal bones of the wrist, the 5 metacarpals of the palm and the 14 phalanges of the fingers. The thumb has two phalanges and each of the other four fingers has three.
Frequently asked questions
Are there more bones in the hand or the foot?
The hand has one more. The wrist has 8 bones and the ankle 7, while both have 5 metacarpals or metatarsals and 14 phalanges, so the hand has 27 and the foot 26.
How many bones are in each finger?
The thumb has two phalanges, proximal and distal; the index to little fingers have three each, proximal, middle and distal. Counting the metacarpal in the palm adds one more to each.
Is the pisiform counted among the 27?
Yes. The pisiform is a sesamoid bone that forms within a tendon, but it is counted as one of the 8 carpal bones.
The bones counted
- Scaphoid
- Lunate
- Capitate
- Hamate
- First metacarpal bone
- Proximal phalanx of thumb
- Distal phalanx of index finger
Related counts
Other bone counts
- Bones in the human body
- Axial and appendicular skeleton
- Bones of the skull
- Bones of the spine
- Cervical vertebrae
- Thoracic vertebrae
- Lumbar vertebrae
- Number of ribs
- Bones of the leg
- Tarsal bones
- Bones of the pelvis
Skeleton
Read more
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- What getting up from a chair says about how your body is ageing
- Why ageing bone marrow turns to fat, and a PEMF study in mice
- PEMF and whole-body vibration: two rhythms that reach the body
- Myokines: the signals working muscle sends to the body
- Ageing parents: the changes families notice first
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